Ford hybrids don't meet mileage claim, Consumer Reports says

Mark Fields, incoming chief operating officer of Ford Motor Co., stands for a photograph with the Fiesta ST hatchback vehicle during the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles last Wednesday, Nov. 28.Bloomberg News

Bloomberg News

Ford Motor Co.'s two newest hybrid models fell 17 percent to 21 percent short of the company's promise of 47 mpg in tests by Consumer Reports, the biggest shortfall the magazine has found.

The Ford Fusion hybrid achieved 39 miles per gallon, while the C-Max hybrid averaged 37 mpg in tests of city and highway driving, the Yonkers, New York-based magazine said Thursday in an e-mailed statement. Ford advertises that each model will achieve 47 mpg in combined city and highway driving.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will examine the magazine's report and data, said an agency official who asked not to be identified because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter on the record.

"This is the largest discrepancy that we've seen," Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports auto test chief, said in an interview. "Hopefully the EPA and Ford can look into this. It's important to get to the bottom of this and make sure that the claimed fuel economy is going to be what consumers find in the real world."

Ford is counting on the redesigned Fusion to challenge Toyota Motor Corp.'s Camry, the top-selling car in the U.S. for the last 10 years. Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford has loaded new technology into the 2013 Fusion, which went on sale in October, and stresses that its hybrid version's 47 mpg is more than the Camry hybrid's 40 mpg. The 2013 Fusion was named Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal last month.

Testing Procedure

The C-Max and Fusion hybrids are among six new hybrids and electric cars Ford is fielding this year and next in an effort to advance in a market dominated by Toyota. Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally has made fuel economy a cornerstone of his turnaround plan.

"Early C-Max hybrid and Fusion hybrid customers praise the vehicles and report a range of fuel economy figures, including some reports above 47 mpg," Wes Sherwood, a Ford spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement. "Driving styles, driving conditions and other factors can cause mileage to vary."

Consumer Reports, which doesn't accept ads, said it bought Fusion and C-Max hybrids from a local dealership and drove them "2,000 break-in miles," before testing. The magazine installed a "precision fuel meter" in each car's fuel line.

To test city driving, the magazine drove the cars through a standard course on its Connecticut test track at specific speeds with multiple stops and predetermined idle time. For highway testing, the cars were driven each way at 65 mph on the same stretch of highway.

'Still Excellent'

Sherwood said gauges and other "eco-coaching" technology on the Ford hybrid models can teach drivers to optimize fuel economy.

"We expect a wider range of performance will lead to opportunities to get a wider range of fuel economy figures," Sherwood said. "We will continue to work with our customers, Consumer Reports and any others who have questions about how our hybrids are different."

Despite the shortfall, the Fusion was the most fuel-efficient mid-sized sedan hybrid Consumer Reports tested, topping the Camry hybrid by 1 mpg, Fisher said. The Camry hybrid, which averaged 38 mpg in the magazine's tests, fell just 2 mpg short of Toyota's claim of 40 mpg, Fisher said.

"Eighty percent of the vehicles we tested are within 2 mpg of EPA estimates," Fisher said, referring to the agency's estimates for fuel economy. The Fusion and C-Max "are still excellent vehicles when it comes to fuel economy. They are not gas guzzlers, but they're certainly not matching the advertised claims."

'Leaden Foot'

Consumer Reports tests yielded similar results to other media evaluations and with complaints consumers have made on the U.S. government's www.fueleconomy.gov website. Bloomberg reviewer Jason H. Harper reported Nov. 15 that he averaged 36.9 mpg in the Fusion hybrid he drove, though he blamed that on his "leaden foot."

"There are dozens of people already that have reported on fueleconomy.gov site showing much less than the EPA estimates," Fisher said. "So if you go out and purchase a vehicle with the expressed purpose of getting that 47 mpg and you don't get it, you'll be dissatisfied. It certainly could impact sales."

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. admitted last month to the biggest overstatement of fuel-economy ratings ever found by the EPA. The companies apologized and offered customers of 900,000 vehicles purchased in the past two years prepaid fuel cards to reimburse them for the discrepancy they experienced in fuel economy compared to what appeared on the cars' window stickers.

New Labels

The EPA said Hyundai and Kia would put new mileage labels on "the majority of their 2012 and 2013 models," reducing average mpg ratings by 1 to 2 miles. Kia's Soul wagon was the furthest off, revising highway mileage downward by 6 mpg.

"There is an arms race when it comes to fuel economy," Fisher said. "There certainly is a lot of emphasis on these fuel economy numbers and getting them as high as possible."

Ford rose 2.1 percent to $11.48 today at the close in New York. The shares have risen 6.7 percent so far this year.

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